A STUDY OF WIND POWER AND WIND TURBINE GENRATORS

ABS
Wind is one of the most promising renewable energy resource that can serve as an
environmentally clean and sustainable source of energy. The existing methods of wind energy
extraction and processing have to be improved and developed in such a way that the wind
power available can meet utility requirements. This process of modernising the wind energy
conversion systems requires ample knowledge of several aspects of the wind turbine generators
involved, such as performance, capabilities, etc. In this paper, the currently used generators in
wind energy conversion systems and some of their modern counterparts, along with their
technical features, have been discussed. The aim is to utilise those turbine generators which
can produce constant power irrespective of the changes in wind speed.

INTRO
As the global energy consumption increases with each passing year, the growing trend is to
look for alternative solutions to conventional energy sources. Renewable energy sources have
come up as a major alternative in this regard. Among the many sources of renewable energies
under exploitation, wind energy is fast becoming one of the most promising contenders in this
context. It has relatively lesser associated costs compared to other renewable sources, has little
environmental impact and most importantly, provides a sustainable source of energy to cater
to the ever-increasing energy demand.
Wind energy is finding widespread applications in areas where distributed generation is being
focussed upon. They can have stand-alone applications, where the wind power is used cater to
the requirements of small scale loads such as in remote and rural areas that are difficult to
access through transmission networks. Wind energy can be operated economically and in large
quantities in these areas. They can also serve as grid interactive systems, where they can
supplement grid power requirements. Wind power penetration in utility grids have gradually
increased over the years.
Currently, five countries Germany, USA, Denmark, India and Spain concentrate more
than 83% of worldwide wind energy capacity in their countries.
A wind energy conversation system has several parts, out of which wind turbine generators
comprise the electrical part. Wind turbine generators produce electrical power from the kinetic
energy of the wind extracted by the rotor blades. Doubly fed Induction Generators, Permanent
Magnet Synchronous Generators are some of the conventional types of generators in use today.
The main focus of this paper is on wind turbine generators. First, a brief description of
important characteristics of wind energy and wind turbine power output have been given. Then,
the different types of wind turbine generators that are utilised in wind power systems have been
addressed. Finally, a comparative study has been made between the various generators.
WIND TURBINE GENERATOR
The coefficient of performance, Cp, which determines the output power, is dependent on the
rotational speed of the turbine and the wind speed. Hence as wind speed varies, rotational speed
must also be changed, so that Cp is such that maximum power output is available from the
wind turbine. In this context, depending upon whether rotational speed is varied or not, wind
turbine generators(WTGs) can be classified as fixed speed and variable speed WTGS.
Fixed speed turbines constitute the traditionally used turbines, where the turbine speed, and
hence Cp, remains fixed for all wind speeds. Hence power output varies with fluctuations in
wind speed. This gives rise to problems such as limited power quality control, uncontrolled
reactive power consumption, etc. However, they are easy to interface with the electrical grid,
and are simple, robust and well proven.
Variable speed turbines, on the other hand, are able to extract more energy from the wind since
Cp is adjusted to have an optimum value so that maximum power output is available. Also
output power is held to be constant. Hence these turbines are the design preferred by the wind
industry. Higher efficiency, especially at low wind speeds, and low power variations are some
of the merits of this type of turbines.

Conc
Wind energy remains a viable alternative to addressing the global challenge of clean energy
and electrification of remote communities. This paper has discussed the various generator types
used with wind energy conversion systems and introduced some of the emerging wind
generator technologies such as the BDFRG, BDFIG, SRG and most recently, hybrid wind
generator systems which could advance

REF
1 Wind Turbine Generators: Conventional and Emerging Technologies
Oluwagbenga Apata, D.T.O. Oyedokun

2 WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS

Gary L. Johnson